No Longer Stag
by Dannor
Summary: James finally tells Lily how he really feels, and is hoping for her to feel the same way- unfortunatly, it's not how things turn out. Chapter six up the 3rd!
1. Homework Help

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter. Nope. This takes place during the Marauder's seventh year. Assuming that Harry started Hogwarts in 1990, then Lily and James started school in 1971. McGonagall's been teaching for 39 years in 1996, so Lily and James had her, too.

"Potter! Are you paying attention?"

James Potter snapped his head up. It was another hot day in Transfiguration, and he had been looking at one girl- Lily Evans. 

"Yes, Professor, sorry," James said automatically. He had gotten in trouble for not paying attention in class before, but today he had a new record, seven times in one class.

"Well then, Potter," their Transfiguration professor, Professor McGonagall, said severely, "perhaps you can show the class how you would transfigure the goblet in front of you into a mouse. Go on."

James grinned. He was a superb student- everyone knew that. Flicking out his wand with a casual grace, he looked at his water goblet, and then let his eyes drift up.

_Oh great. Evans is looking at me._

Lily Evans's beautiful green eyes were looking at James, as were every other person's in the room. However, none of them had the same effect on him that Lily's had. His slightly arrogant grin turned into a stupid smile, and he flushed deeply.

"Today, Potter," McGonagall said severely.

"Oh, right!" James said. "Right… _Verutia__!_" He flicked his wand, and his water goblet began to shriek at a high level. All of the students covered their ears, and some shot annoyed glares at James. "Oops! Sorry! _Finite!" The shrieking stopped, and the class uncovered their ears._

"Well, since Potter seems incapable of doing a spell that you should all know by now, perhaps another of you can," McGonagall said in annoyance, as her nostrils flared. "Miss Evans?"

Lily took her own wand out, and said in a clear, musical voice, "_Berushia__!" The water goblet wobbled, and then slowly shrunk down to a mouse._

"Five points to Gryffindor," McGonagall said. "Now, your homework tonight- since Mr. Potter seems to think it's funny to mispronounce incantations, I want you all to write an essay on the importance of the pronunciation of spells."

The class groaned, and the bell rang. They gathered up their things and put them into their bags. "Potter, can I see you for a moment?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Thanks a lot, Potter. Staring at the Mudblood all day," a slimy voice hissed in his ear.

James whirled around and stared Severus Snape in the eye. "Never insult Evans again," he snapped. Then, on an after thought, he added nastily, "_Snivellus."_

Furious, Snape whipped out his wand. Instantly, James had his own out, and ready to cast a spell. "Mr. Potter! Mr. Snape! _What are you doing?"_

James quailed under McGonagall's furious stare. "Snape called Evans a-a nasty name for a Muggle born!" he said. "I couldn't- couldn't…" James flushed deeply. Soon, his face was a fantastic shade of magenta. "I couldn't let him say such nasty things about Muggle-borns," he said quickly.

_Oh Merlin, I sound stupid... James thought furiously._

"Mr. Snape, is this true?" McGonagall said, turning her glare from James to Snape.

"Yes," he said shortly.

"Very well, ten points from Slytherin. Mr. Potter, if you please," McGonagall gestured to her desk. Still flushing deeply, James walked up to the professor's desk as the rest of the class filed out. Lily's eyes shot a venomous glare at Snape, and then softened very slightly when they flicked over to James. Sirius Black, James's best friend, shrugged and walked off with the rest of the Marauders. 

"Mr. Potter, what is it with your behavior this week?" Professor McGonagall asked, magically closing the door.

"I- er-" James stuttered. The last person he wanted to talk to about his crush on Lily Evans was Professor McGonagall. "Well, I guess I'm having an off week," he said lamely.

"An off week? Potter, you haven't gotten a single question correct! I'm surprised at you- you got an 'Outstanding' O.W.L. in Transfiguration! What's wrong?"

"My mind is on… other things," James said, thinking for a minute.

"_Other things,_ Potter? This is your education- you signed up for my N.E.W.T. class because you have thoughts of becoming a professor at Hogwarts! If you want to be a professor, you cannot have your mind on _other things_! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor," James said quietly.

Slowly, James headed back up to the seventh floor, to the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Password?" she said.

"_Confectionary treats_," James said, and the portrait swung open. Climbing through the portrait hole, James sat down in the empty squashy armchair next to Sirius.

"So, what'd McGonagall want, Prongs?" Sirius asked.

"Wanted to know why I've been slipping up in class," James shrugged.

"I never thought I'd see the day- James Potter slipping up in class on accident," Remus Lupin said, sniggering. 

"Oh, stuff it, Moony," James said sullenly. His hazel eyes traveled around the common room, and the rested on Lily. She was sitting by the fire, chatting with a friend of hers. She caught his eye, and sent him the slightest of grins.

"Ah," said Wormtail, "he's thinking of _Lily Evans _again."

James flushed, and broke eye-contact with Lily. "Am not," he said quickly.

Sirius snickered. "Come off it, mate, you've had a crush on her since third year!"

Once more, James flushed deeply. "So?" he asked.

"Nothing," Sirius said, pulling his hair away from his eyes. "It's just as much as you like her, you'd think you'd ask her out."

"I tried that all of fifth year, remember?" James said sullenly.

"Yeah, well, back then, you were a pig headed idiot," Lupin said, matter-of-factly.

"We _all _were, Moony," Sirius snickered, "save you."

"Come off it!" Lupin laughed. "I was just as arrogant as-"

"Excuse me," a musical voice came from behind them, "but would you four please keep it down? We're trying to study."

Immediately, James stood up. "Oh, er… sorry, Evans," James said, trying hard not to blush. "We'll try to be quiet." 

"Thanks," she said, and started to walk away. Then, she turned around and looked James in the eye. "Thanks, James."

"Why'd you call him James?" Lily's friend, Chelsea Reynolds, asked.

"Why not?" Lily asked. 

"Well, you've always been short with him- calling him 'Potter' and all," Chelsea said, biting on the tip of her quill. "And I _still can't figure out question seven!"_

Lily peered over at Chelsea's parchment. "'Write down the exact instructions for brewing a Spell-Resistant Potion,'" she said. "Spell-Resistant Potion… I remember learning about it in fourth year… But I've forgotten it-"

"_Subtle Science of Potions, _Chapter Six," James called from across the room. Chelsea sighed.

"What?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's so smart and good looking. It's no wonder every girl in our year has a crush on him," she sighed.

"Not every girl," Lily said blatantly. 

"Who doesn't?" Chelsea asked, shocked.

"Me."

"_What_?" she said. "But- it's- he's _James Potter_!" she sighed.

"I figured you'd be more smitten with Sirius Black."

"Black?" Chelsea asked, slightly surprised. "Yeah, he is nice…"

James nudged Sirius in the ribs. "I think they're talking about you, Padfoot."

Sirius grinned. "Well, of course. I'm Sirius Black, master of ravishing good looks."

"You're an idiot, Padfoot," James sighed.

"But a good looking idiot, right?" Sirius asked, hopefully.

"Wrong."

Wormtail yawned. "I'm going to bed, if you three don't mind."

"Fine. Good night, Wormtail."

Very slowly, the common room emptied out, until only James and Lily were left; now sitting at tables opposite of each other, quietly scribbling away at homework.

"Oh I'm so sick of this!" Lily said in a frustrated voice.

James turned around in his chair. "What? Need help?"

Lily's face turned red slightly, but she nodded. James walked over to her table and sat down. "What d'you need help with?"

"The Transfiguration essay," Lily said.

"Oh," James said, then exhaled slightly. "Erm, sorry for making the class get that extra homework."

"Why'd you mess up? You're top in the class! I mean, you _are_ Head Boy," Lily said, before she could stop herself.

James sighed slightly, then ran his fingers through his hair, unconsciously. "Well, I couldn't concentrate. I had my mind on other things."

_Merlin, this is like the conversation I had with McGonagall…_

"Other things?" Lily asked, pulling her long red hair back behind her shoulders.

"Yeah," James said. "A certain girl." The instant he said that, James thought he sounded stupid.

Lily smiled slightly. "Do I know her?"

"Oh, you know her, all right…" James said in an undertone. "More than you think you do."

"Can you tell me who she is?" Lily asked.

"Not really. But I can describe her to you," James said.

"Okay, tell me," Lily said, closing her Transfiguration book.

"Well… she has the most beautiful, soft hair, and her eyes- the way they look when she's happy- are amazing. And her face is so delicate, you're afraid it'll break if you held it, but you have a longing to hold it." James turned a deeper shade of red, each time he spoke of a different feature of Lily Evans.

Lily gasped. "I know who you're talking about! And she likes you!"

"Y-you know?" he asked, slightly shocked. "But I didn't-"

"You like Chelsea Reynolds!" 

James let out a laugh. "I hardly even know Chelsea Reynolds. The girl I'm talking about is- well, it's you, Lily."

There was a long pause, in which the fire crackled and spit sparks in the air. It was well past midnight now, and the two of them held a long, uncomfortable silence between them.

"Oh," Lily said quietly. "I… I didn't know… I've never really…"

"You're welcome," James smiled. "So, how do you feel about me?"

"Well, Potter," Lily said, calling James 'Potter' once more, "I think, and will always think, that you're conceited. If you go around thinking that every girl will melt faster than butter when you flash one of your _stupid _smiles at them, you're wrong."

"But I thought-"

"You thought that I like you?" Lily asked. "Well, Potter, I think that if your head weren't the size of a Hungarian Horntail, I might think you a nice person. But I don't. If you'll excuse me, I'm going up to bed. Good NIGHT."

And with that, Lily Evans stormed out of the common room to the Girls' Dormitory, leaving a dumbfounded James behind in the common room.

  
  
  
  



	2. The Forbidden Forest

**Disclaimer: **Same as before, same as before. Oh, one thing I caught- Harry started Hogwarts in 1991, not 1990. My bad.

The next morning at breakfast, the Marauders sat at their usual spot. James had told them about the events of the previous night, and, almost instantly, Sirius had the solution.

"Well, mate," he said, spooning more and more corn flakes into his mouth at an alarming rate, "I don't get that girl at all. She's a tough one to break, if you ask me."

"But I don't _get _it!" James said furiously, startling a second year. "She was even calling me 'James!' She _never calls me that!"_

Sirius was about to open his mouth when an ugly, old barn owl landed at the Gryffindor table. It glared at Sirius and flapped its wings, sending a shower of feathers in Sirius's cereal. In its beak it clutched a large, red envelope.

"Oh great," Sirius muttered. "My dear old Mum's sent me a Howler."

The barn owl began pecking furiously at Sirius's hand, which lay stationary, not about to pick up the letter.

"I'd pick up that letter, Padfoot," Wormtail said, seriously. "You don't want it to burst into flames. The table might catch on fire! And I have my Charms essay in my bag, and it took forever-"

"Wormtail," James sighed, "don't wet yourself."

"Open it, Padfoot. It'll be over with faster," Lupin said.

"Fine," Sirius grumbled, and snatched the now-smoking envelope from the beak of the barn owl. "And I don't have anything for _you_," Sirius snarled at the owl, and tore open the Howler. Instantly, the letter started shrieking at Sirius.

"_VILE BLOOD TRAITOR! GOING OFF FRATERNIZING WITH THE ENEMY! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE THE BLACK FAMILY NAME! YOUR BROTHER IS A DECENT BOY, IN SLYTHERIN! YOU, ASSOCIATING YOURSELF WITH FILTHY MUGGLE-LOVERS, HALF-BREEDS, AND HALFBLOODS! YOU'VE STAINED THE FAMILY NAME!"_

"Oh, give it a rest, Mum," Sirius sighed, and jabbed the Howler with his wand. Instantly, it stopped shrieking. Several people along the table snickered, and Sirius turned a deep shade of crimson.

Lupin was reading the _Daily Prophet _when his face fell slightly. "Full moon tonight," he sighed.

James's face brightened up. "Good. At least we won't be bored out of our skulls."

"You might think so," Lupin said darkly. "But _I _don't."

"Hey, at least it's better than getting your head bitten off by Evans," James said.

"Or getting a Howler from your Mum once a month," Sirius said brightly. He jabbed his wand at the barn owl. "Go away, Hades, before I transfigure you into a mouse. _Then _why don't you go up into the Owlery and bother other owls as a mouse?" The idea seemed highly amusing to Sirius, so he flicked his wand, but Lupin grabbed the owl and tossed it in the air, watching it fly off.

"Really, Padfoot… Just because he gives you a Howler once a month, you don't have to transfigure it into a mouse. Besides," he said with a laugh, "the Head Boy might take points away from you."

"Come off it," James said seriously. "When you were Prefect, Moony, you didn't go taking away points from me. So now that I'm Head Boy, why should I take points away from-"

"The irresponsible Head _Boy _might not take away points from Sirius Black, but the Head _Girl_ might. So, Black, don't even think about hexing that poor owl."

"Evans, quit meddling," Sirius said.

"She has good intentions, guys," Lupin said. Lily beamed at him. "Anyway, I have to go- I lost my Charms book-"

James grinned. "Let me get it." Whipping out his wand with a flourish, he saw Lily looking at him again. Instantly, his insides seemed to melt away when he saw her. "_Accio Charms Book_," he said, grinning stupidly, and instantly, hundreds of bags split open as Charms books flew towards the Marauders and Lily. They all ducked, and the books collided with each other. When the books stopped flying, there was a dull murmur of Summoning charms, and the books flew back to their respective owners. Hundreds of heads glared at James.

"Eh, sorry," he said weekly. Lily rolled her eyes.

The bell rang, and Snape strode over from the Slytherin table. "Nice going, Potter," he snarled. "Perhaps you need to concentrate harder." Snape muttered a curse under his breath, and James instantly had a horrible headache.

Glaring, he whipped out his wand, and snarled at Snape. "_Expelliarmus_!" Snape's wand flew into James's outstretched hand, and Snape flew backwards. "_Impedimenta_!"  Snape was instantly frozen on the ground. Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.

"_Petrificus__ Totalus!" Lily cried, and James was instantly on the ground. _

"Potter, can't you grow up? You're always cursing Snape!" Lily said, furious.

However, James was incapable of moving. Sirius quickly muttered the counter-jinx. James jumped up. "He hit me first! I was unprepared, and I _still have a horrible headache!"_

"What's going on here?" came McGonagall's shrill voice. Her eyes quickly swept over the scene. "Potter! Miss Evans! Explain yourselves!"

"Snape cursed me, Professor!"

"He didn't leave any grounds for Snape to defend himself-"

"You didn't leave any for me!"

"ENOUGH!" McGonagall shouted over the two. "Potter, Miss Evans, I'm afraid I'll have to give you two detention!"

"What about Snape?" James asked furiously.

By now, the Impediment Jinx had worn off, and Snape leapt up. "Very well, Snape, you will serve detention with Potter and Miss Evans as well," McGonagall snapped.

"Thanks a lot, Potter," Snape hissed once McGonagall left.

"You're welcome, Snivelly," James smirked back.

After dinner that night, Lily and James headed up to Professor McGonagall's office, walking on opposite ends of the corridor. Snape was making sure that he was walking directly in between the two. James went into McGonagall's office, and Lily and Snape followed.

"Well, now that you three are all here, I am going to tell you this at once- Hagrid needs your help with something. I'm not sure what- but you all are to meet him by his hut in ten minutes.

Sighing, James led the way down to Hagrid's hut; he knew the way there practically by heart, considering all the times he and Sirius had tried to sneak into the Forbidden Forest before their fifth year, and then, once he became an Animagi, the Marauders explored the forest almost as much as they had Hogwarts. 

When they knocked on the door to Hagrid's hut, Hagrid's Crup, Claw, bounced out of the house and leaped on top of James, and began licking his face. James managed to push the dog off, laughing. He got up, dusted himself off, and then Hagrid stepped out the door.

"So, yeh've got ter serve detention wi' me, now," he said, grinning. "Well, then, I'll tell yeh what we've got ter do; there's a troll roamin' round in the forest, and we've got ter round it up."

"Trolls?" Snape asked, drawing in a sharp breath.

"Yes, Snape, a troll. Yer all seventh years, an' they're 'ead Boy an' Girl. I think yeh'll be able to handle yerselves."

"How would we defeat it?" Snape asked, apparently irritated that they had to go search for a troll in the Forbidden Forest at night.

"Stun it, then shoot sparks in the air. I'll see 'em, and come to yeh."

"I wa-"

"I want to go with Claw," Snape said defiantly, cutting Lily off in mid-sentence. She shot him a scathing look.

"All righ', then, Snape. You can use Claw. James, Lily, you two go ter the north end o' the forest, Snape, you go ter the sou' end, an' I'll go ter the east," Hagrid said, matter-of-factly. "I'll see yeh when we catch the troll." And with that, Hagrid lumbered off to the east end of the forest. Snape sighed, and snapped his fingers, signaling Claw, who went bounding ahead of him, towards the south. 

That left Lily and James, standing there. Lily whipped out her wand, and muttered, "_Lumos_." James did the same. "Well," Lily said, "come on."

James laughed and strode casually into the forest. This was his turf; he knew what he was doing. Lily walked behind him. James expected her to be slightly afraid of the forest, but she strode through with grace that none of the Marauders had when they walked alone in the Forbidden Forest. 

_You're thinking about her again. Stop doing that! You know it messes up your spell work! James thought furiously. He kept his eyes decidedly riveted on the path they were walking on._

About ten minutes into the forest, he turned abruptly behind an oak tree. "What d'you think you're doing, Potter?" Lily asked. "You and I both learned in our first year that it's senseless to go off the path."

"I know what I'm doing, Evans," James said irritably. "You don't think I haven't been in here before?"

"Only a complete idiot runs around in the forest at night, Potter," Lily said coolly, staying on the spot. "But I know that you and Black and Pettigrew and Remus-"

"Why d'you call Moony Remus?" James asked, poking his head out from behind the oak tree. "We've always called him Moony."

"Well, when we were Prefects, he asked me to call him Remus, so I did," Lily snapped.

"Moony never told me that…" James said quietly.

"Why would it matter if he never told you that or not?" Lily asked.

"Because, Evans, I'm his best friend, like you and Reynolds are," James replied. "I see you two, sitting over in the common room, jabbering on and on like you've just drunken a Babbling potion!" James shouted.

"Just because we talk doesn't mean we tell each other everything!" Lily shouted back. "I think Remus is a-"

"Evans, get down."

"What?"

"Get down! The troll is close to you!" James hissed. Lily let out a gasp of horror, and darted behind the tree. 

"How can you tell?" she hissed back.

"Can't you hear the grunting, and the snorting? Evans, stay back. I'll handle this," James said seriously.

"Oh no you won't, James Potter. I'm not going to let you suck up all the glory."

James turned to her, and his face held no trace of arrogance. "Stay back, for your safety. Please- Lily," he said. "Oh, and hold my wand."

"What?" Lily asked, bewildered, as James unlit his wand. "What d'you plan on doing without a wand?"

"Don't worry- just watch." James paused for a moment, and then, in the flash of an eye, turned into a stag. Lily gasped.

"You're an Animagus?" Lily asked in wonder.

The stag nodded its head, and bound out towards the troll. 

_Merlin's beard, this is exciting! Fighting a mountain troll, saving Lily Evans, and, of course, impressing her along the way. _

James bound out towards the troll and snorted, stamping his hoof impatiently. The troll turned around stupidly, and grunted. It lumbered towards James, who was ready for it.

The troll was a Forest Troll, so it was smaller and smarter than other trolls. But, James Potter was smarter than most wizards, too. As soon as the troll parted its hands and ran towards him, James bucked his head up, and his stag horns forced the troll back. Very slowly, James was pushing the troll back. He was quite a strong stag.

Then, suddenly, it all went wrong. The troll found a fallen tree limb and picked it up, and started beating the stag on the head. James was slowly become disoriented, but kept on pushing with all his might.

Then, a voice rang out from behind the oak tree. "_STUPEFY!_" Lily shouted, and sent a stunning spell hit the Forest Troll in the chest. It blinked for a second, as though wondering what happened, and then toppled over backwards, snoring loudly.

James turned back to himself, panting slightly. He walked over to Lily, who had already sent some gold sparks into the air. "Th-th-thanks, Evans," he panted.

"Potter, that was the most reckless, arrogant, and foolish thing that a student at Hogwarts- let alone the Head Boy- could do. What possessed you to do that?" she asked, furious.

"I was just-"

"Just trying to play the hero, rescue the girl, and run off with her as your girlfriend?" Lily asked. "And furthermore, you're an unregistered Animagus! I could have you arrested, or at least make you tell the Ministry of Magic!"

"Listen, Evans, don't tell-"

"You want me to keep it 'hush hush,' do you, James Potter? Well, I won't! Who else knows your little secret?" she shouted, scathingly.

"Moony, Wormtail, and Padfoot. Where d'you think we got our nicknames from?"

"You're _all _unregistered Animagi?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, Moony isn't. He's a werewolf."

"A _werewolf_? You, Black, and Pettigrew go running around with a _werewolf?" _

"Padfoot and I keep him under control. He's a big black dog, and I'm a stag. Wormtail's a rat," James confessed.

Lily opened her mouth to say more, but she was cut off by Hagrid bursting through the brush. She glared at James, and, once more, James was left standing by himself, wondering how a girl's mind worked. 

  
  



	3. The Werewolf

**Author's Note: I'm not sure if werewolf's turn into humans if they aren't exposed to a full moon on a full moon night, but in this fic, they do. If they don't, than this chapter is slightly AU.**

Hagrid appraised Lily and James's work. "Well done, the two of yeh, well done!" he said, thumping them on the back. Under the dim wand light, James could see Snape send him a venomous glare. James just grinned back.

"Really, Hagrid, it was nothing," James said. Now it was Lily's turn to send him a venomous glare. 

"_It's really nothing to blab your secret to the world, Potter," Lily hissed in his ear._

"But it was Lily who stunned it. I just subdued it," James said quickly.

"Well, yeh both deserve credit where credit is due. If this weren't detention, and I was a teacher, I'd give yeh each twenty points," Hagrid said, beaming at them. "Well, c'mon, we've got teh getcher back the  castle."

Hagrid led the three of them out of the Forbidden Forest, after having Lily send a shower of sparks in the air to mark where the troll was. Slowly, they made their way back to the castle. Once they reached the Great Hall, they parted ways. Lily and James headed up to the seventh floor, and Snape headed down to the dungeons. 

Once they entered the Gryffindor common room, James bolted up to the Boy's Dormitory. He found a note, hastily scrawled in Sirius's handwriting, on his bed.

_Prongs,_

_Went out.__ Had to borrow the Invisibility Cloak, but Womrtail returned it to the usual spot. Meet us at the Whomping Willow._

_Padfoot___

James laughed. They were always thinking of ways to get his cloak back to him when he had late-night detentions on full moons. He quickly rummaged through his trunk, and found his old Invisibility Cloak his father had given to him. He listened intently; there was only one non-Marauder Gryffindor seventh year boy, and he was currently snoring quietly. 

Quietly, James slipped into his cloak and trekked down to the common room. He glanced around, and saw it was empty. He let out a sigh of relief. 

Then, to his complete horror, he heard someone cough. Trying to keep his feet covered by the cloak, he whirled around. Sitting at a table, quietly scribbling away at her homework, was Lily Evans.

_Oh Merlin, no… Why can't she go to bed? James thought furiously. Even though he thought the world of her, he wanted her to be anywhere except in the common room. Sighing, he sat down on one of the squashy arm chairs and waited._

He was sitting in the arm chair for fifteen minutes when he decided he needed to take action. Pulling his wand out of his pocket, he stuck it out of the cloak the tiniest bit, and whispered, "_Stupefy_." Lily slumped over on the table.

James quickly rushed to the portrait hole and pushed it open. Before he closed it entirely, he whispered, "_Enervate_." Lily quickly woke up and looked around.

"Must've dozed off," she said, and went back to working on homework.

James ran down to the grounds, cursing his luck that the other Marauders had their map. Thankfully, he ran into no one, save the Bloody Baron, who was lecturing Peeves the Poltergeist once more.

Once he stepped out onto the Hogwarts grounds, he pulled off his Invisibility Cloak. He sniffed the cool, night air; no longer was he confined to searching for a troll in the Forbidden Forest, or listen to Snape chide him about Lily. He was free, and he could do whatever he wanted.

He quickly transformed into the stag, but not before stuffing his wand and Invisibility Cloak in his pocket. He gracefully galloped over to the immense Whomping Willow. There, a large black dog, a werewolf, and a rat, awaited him. 

The Whomping Willow was thrashing out at the three of them, and occasionally sending a large branch thwacking onto the dog or the wolf.

The dog, Sirius, bound over to James and did a dog-form of a bow. He went to the left side of the werewolf (Lupin.) The rat, Wormtail, scurried over to the tree, and pressed one of the roots. The Whomping Willow instantly froze.

Lupin growled a little, but James stepped over to his right side, and stamped one of his hoofs onto the ground. _It's all right, Moony. It's just me, Padfoot, and Wormtail._ James looked over at Sirius, and nodded his stag head. Together, they escorted Lupin into the hole of the Whomping Willow.

It was a long, dark, dingy tunnel that stretched all the way from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. Wormtail had already scurried ahead, leaving just James, Lupin, and Sirius. Once they entered the tunnel, Lupin twitched a little, and then transformed from wolf to human, quickly followed by James and Sirius.

"All right, Moony?" James asked, lighting his wand tip. 

"As I'll ever be," he said. His voice was hoarser than usual, and he was pale.

"Well, what should we do tonight, Prongs?" Sirius asked, grinning at James.

"Oh, I dunno. Probably go explore Hogsmeade," James shrugged.

"Again? Prongs, can't you ever pick something original?" Sirius joked.

James opened his mouth to say something, but he heard something fall down behind him. "Did you just hear that?" he asked.

"Probably just Wormtail," Lupin said, shrugging.

"It came from behind us," James pointed out.

"Ah, probably wasn't anything, mate," Sirius said. "C'mon, or Wormtail'll get way ahead of us."

"You're right," James said, and then broke into a run. Irritated, Sirius turned into the black dog and bound ahead of James.

"Think you can outdo me, eh?" he said defiantly, and was quickly a stag. Soon, he was ahead of Wormtail, who was in his human form, wheezing and panting. Lupin, not up to his full health standards, walked slowly, hands in his robe pockets, until he caught up with Wormtail.

"I wish I was up to full heatlh," Lupin said wistfully. 

"I wish I could run that fast," Wormtail added.

Sirius and James were quickly their human forms, and they shouted back to the two. "Oi! Are you just going to sit there all day?"

Lupin rolled his eyes and then, with a faint _pop_, he was up with James and Sirius. 

"And I _really _wish I was old enough to Apparate…"

Once they cleared the old tunnel and entered the Shrieking Shack, Lupin went to one of the ripped up armchairs that was in the main room and sat down. He panted slightly. "Merlin, I hate this place," he said.

Sirius plopped down on one of the other arm chairs. "Hey, at least it gives us a chance to get out of the school, eh, mate?"

"Imagine if we were caught," Wormtail said, suddenly going deathly white. "We'd probably be expelled! But not before losing Gryffindor around two hundred points each! Then we'd be sent to Azkaban for the rest of our lives, for being unregistered Animagi!"

"Wormtail," Sirius laughed, "I doubt any of us will _ever be sent to Azkaban. They don't arrest people for being unregistered Animagi. Do they?" he added, looking at James._

"Well… in History of Magic, Professor Binns told us that in 1754, they introduced the Animagi Act, saying that if any unregistered Animagi are caught, they will be fined three hundred Galleons and forced to register. If they haven't turned into their animal forms yet, only when learning to become Animagi, they'd only have to register," James said, matter-of-factly. "But that was in third year, and I wasn't paying attention."

In the darker corner of the Shrieking Shack, two almond shaped green eyes could be seen, listening to the Marauders conversation. Lily Evans had followed James out of the common room. She knew something was up when she suddenly fell asleep and woke up. She heard the Fat Lady's portrait close, and quietly followed James. There was one point when she was almost caught, in the tunnel of the Whomping Willow, but thankfully, Sirius dismissed it.

_Merlin, these idiots are going to get themselves killed. She knew that it was dangerous to follow the Marauders, but she had to see what they did every full moon. She wanted to know exactly what they were up to, and why James Potter, Head Boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was so keen to sneak out once a month. _

Lily could hardly hear what they were talking about. It all seemed to be in muffled whispers. However, she finally heard James speak up. "Well, c'mon guys, the night awaits us!"

Lily was forced to duck further into the corner as James, Sirius, and Wormtail transformed into their animal forms. Even though she completely detested Sirius and James, she had to admit it was pretty impressive that they were Animagi by the age of seventeen.

Cautiously, Lupin moved between James and Sirius. The two formed a tight blockade around him, and he nodded, grimly. They walked out of the Shrieking Shack, and Lupin began his transformation into a werewolf. 

It was really the first time Lily had ever seen a transformation from man to wolf, and she was quite fascinated by it. He began snarling, and his body began to elongate. His hair seemed to cover everything, as though grass were growing on his face, robes, hands, his entire body. His shoulders began to haunch, and soon, he was a werewolf.

Lupin barked, apparently annoyed by the fact that the stag and dog- _No, Potter and Black, Lily reminded herself- were pushing themselves together very tightly; soon, he had no option but to move forward._

Lily gave a gasp of shock. This was the full force of Remus Lupin- a werewolf, with the mind of a wolf. He was still growling, but realized that he had to move, since James and Sirius started walking forward. 

Lily looked around for Wormtail- where had he gone? Then she saw him- a small rat, squeaking in fear, scampering forward and back, trying his best to avoid Lupin. Lily rolled her eyes. It fit Wormtail's personality that he was a rat. She had always liked him least of the Marauders- even less than she liked James. 

It didn't help that he had once tried to flirt with her- unsuccessfully, of course. However, she remembered what he had said to her, in their sixth year.

_"H-hello, Evans."___

_"Hello, Peter," Lily said, smiling._

_"E-E-Evans, I was wondering…"_

_"What, Peter?" Lily asked, smiling at him._

_"W-w-well, Evans, I was wondering, would you like to go to the Winter Dance with me?"_

_"I'm sorry, Peter, I can't go to the Winter Dance with you. I've already promised a Ravenclaw fifth year I'd go to the Winter Dance," Lily said. "I'm really sorry."_

_"What? A-a-already promised another boy to the dance? But Evans! I've- I've always been your friend!" Wormtail said desperately, tugging at hem of Lily's robe. He was on his knees._

_"Peter, I'm sorry, but-"_

_"I'll get you for this, Evans!" Wormtail had drawn his wand, wiping away the tears that had formed in his eyes, and pointed his wand at Lily. "Stup-_"__

_"Expelliarmus!_"___ Wormtail's wand had flown out of his hand, and he had fallen backwards. James Potter stood over him, seething. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted._

Lily sighed. James had always cared deeply for him- she had known that. However, she had also known that he was the most arrogant boy at Hogwarts. But in recent years, he seemed to be getting better. He would hold open doors for people in the hall, and he stopped hexing, jinxing, and cursing people for the fun of it. However, she noticed he never let up on Snape.

Lily's thoughts were interrupted by the howl of a wolf, the bark of a dog, and a few whimpers. Guessing what had happened, she rushed out of the Shrieking Shack, and saw, to her complete horror, that Lupin had broken loose.

He had attacked Sirius first; his dog muzzle was scratched and he had narrowly missed getting his left foreleg bitten. James had jumped into action, leaping on top of Lupin, placing his hooves on Lupin's back, and took his antlers, pushing Lupin's body upward.

Before she knew what she was doing, Lily drew her wand._ She had to point her wand very carefully- Lupin had managed to throw James off of him, and he was trying to bite James- so far, all he had managed to do was scratch James across the back severely._

Finally, the moment was right. Lily threw out a Conjunctivitis Curse, hitting Lupin square in the eye. He howled for a moment in pain, and Lily knew her moment had come. "_Stupefy_!" she shouted, and the werewolf was slumped over on his paws.

Sirius, James, and Wormtail transformed back to their human forms. Sirius was panting, but his injuries were gone- so were James's. Wormtail looked positively horrified.

"Well," Lily said, "I hope you're happy, running around with a werewolf. See what just happened?"

Sirius looked downright ashamed of himself, and Wormtail was still horrified. James, however, was seething. "Evans! You could've been killed! What were you thinking?" 

"What was _I _thinking, Potter? Well, I'll tell you what I was thinking- I had to save you! You're lucky I followed you, or else you all could've been werewolves!"

"You think that's a risk that we weren't prepared to take?" James asked. "We've been doing this for two years, Evans! Remus has done worse before- far worse! We know how to handle ourselves!"

"Potter, it looked like you weren't handling yourself very well! Sirius was already down, and you were almost out! You're lucky I stepped in!"

"Lily," Sirius said quickly, stepping in between them, "James, I know you're both mad, but I think we should carry Remus back to the Shrieking Shack, and head back to Hogwarts. You can continue your little chat in the common room, all right?"

Irritably, Lily and James agreed. They carefully carried Lupin into the Shrieking Shack, and Lily whispered, "_Enervate," once they were all safely inside the tunnel. In the dim wand light, James was glaring at Lily, who glared back at him. _

When they finally reached the Whomping Willow, Wormtail pressed the knot in the roots, and they all went under James's Invisibility Cloak. Being careful, they went back into the Gryffindor common room. Sirius and Wormtail bade them goodnight, leaving Lily and James alone to argue.

"Lily," James said, his expression softening, "I was furious for one reason; I didn't want you hurt. You don't think I care for you?" he asked.

"Potter, it was completely idiotic, what you did!" Lily said, trying to keep her voice down. "You went running off with a werewolf, and you were almost _bitten by one!"_

"I've known about the risk since I was twelve years old, Lily, and I've realized it's a terrible risk. But if I've been doing this for five years, what makes it seem so sudden to you now?"

"Because," Lily said quickly, "because I-" Lily cut herself off. "Because, I've never known about it before know, Potter. Now, if you'll excuse me, goodnight."

Lily stormed up off towards the Girl's Dormitory, leaving James sitting alone on a couch in the common room. "She _does _care for me," he said, smiling.


	4. Lily Comes Out

**Author's Note: I'm calling Wormtail and Lupin Remus and Peter from now on. Makes more sense, I think.**

The next day, the first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. James was easily the best in the class, but there was always one student with skills in Defense Against the Dark Arts to rival James's: Severus Snape.

"I want you all to gather in pairs," their teacher, Professor White, a stout, cheery witch told the class. "However, today, I'll pick your pairs for you! Won't that be fun?" There was a low groan that arouse from the class. Professor White sighed and began picking students to go in pairs. 

"Let's see… Lupin and Black, why don't you work together… Pettigrew, you can work with Evans. Stebbins and Blaine, you two will make a fine partnership! Ah! Potter and Snape! Why don't you two be partners?"

Sighing, James pushed his desk towards Snape. Snape was wearing an ugly scowl, and James glared at him. "Just because White is making us work together doesn't mean I have to cooperate, Potter," Snape hissed.

"You'll cooperate, all right, Snape," James hissed back.

"All right, today we're going to practice dueling! This is going to be important for you later in life- what with You-Know-Who still at large! So, you've been in my class for seven years, and you know the etiquette of dueling- go!" White waved her wand, and the desks vanished. The Defense Against the Dark Arts room, already very large, seemed to enlarge even more.

"Ready, Potter?" Snape spat, standing up. 

"More than you'll be, Snape," James said. "Keep in mind I've saved your life, so you don't want to go killing me, do you?" he asked, smirking. Snape grimaced.

"I've wanted to forget that incident, you know," he hissed. Then, waving his wand, he shot a curse at James. "_Serpantsortia!" A snake suddenly emerged from his wand, and landed at James's feet. It snapped its jaws._

"_Evanesco!" James shouted, and the snake vanished._

Cursing, Snape sent another curse James's way. "_Tarantallegra_!"

"_Protego_!" said James, before the curse had barely left Snape's wand. It bounced off James's Shield charm. Laughing cockily, James shouted, "_Impedimenta!" and Snape was frozen on the spot._

"Well done, Potter, well done! Ten points to Gryffindor!" White said, clapping her hands excitedly. 

"Well, thanks, Professor, it was-"

"_Expelliarmus!" James fell backwards, straight into Professor White, and his wand flew out of his hand. Blushing profusely, James jumped away from the stout witch._

"Sorry, Professor," he said, jumping away from White. He whirled around, and glared at Snape. The Impediment Jinx had worn off, and he was twirling James's wand around idly in his fingers.

"Finished chit-chatting with the Professor, Potter?" he asked icily. "_Petrificus__ Totalus!" he bellowed, and James found that he couldn't move his body at all. He toppled over, and was staring up at the ceiling._

"Interesting form, Snape! Five points to Slytherin!" White said, before going off to help Peter, who had become entangled in his own robes when attempting to duel with Lily.

"Tut tut, little Potter. Fallen down on the ground, I see. Well, then, why don't you take a nap?" Snape snarled greasily. "_Stupe_-"

"_Finite Incantatum_!"

James sprang up from the ground- somebody had lifted the Body-Bind Curse. But who? He glanced around the classroom, and saw Lily glaring at Snape. "Ah, Potter," he smirked, "your Mudblood girlfriend has helped you. How touching, indeed."

James glared at Snape, and snarled, "Call her that again, Snape, and you'll be so hexed you won't be able to talk for a month. Now, toss me back my wand."

"You think in a real duel I'd do that, Potter?" Snape narrowed his eyes. 

"I said toss it back, Snivellus," James said.

"Fine then, Potter," he said, tossing it to James. "Let's see you make good use of it."

"_Renvaria_!" he shouted, and a cut was formed across Snape's cheek. "Let's see you get revenge on _that_, Snivellus."

Snape stared at his wand for a second, then, nodded grimly. "_Antillius__ Requartia!" As his wand waved down, James realized what he had sent at him- Antillius Requartia was the incantation for the Human Vanishing Spell- there was no hope blocking it. He would be forced to duck. Unless-_

"_Accio__ Quaffle!" James shouted, and a Quaffle that had been in the room zoomed into his hands. He quickly put it in the way of the Human Vanishing Spell, and then, the Quaffle was gone._

"I'll get you for that, Potter!" Snape shouted.

"Mr. Snape!" White strode over to the pair of them, glaring. "That was a Class D Curse- not to be used by underage wizards, let alone in school! I'm afraid I'll have to give you a detention for this!" Then, she conjured up a whistle, and blew it loudly. "Class, please return to your seats." She waved her wand, and the room returned to normal.

"So, mate, what happened between you and Snape?" Sirius whispered in his ear.

"Usual. He tried to use a Class D Curse on me, which landed him in detention," James grinned.

"Excellent!" Sirius said, grinning back.

At lunch that day, James found his way to a seat next to Lily. "So Evans, why'd you do that today?"

Lily looked over at James quizzically. "Do what?"

"Lift the Body-Bind Curse from me," he said resolutely.

"Oh," said Lily, uncomfortably. "_That_…"

"Come on, it's just us two, Evans. Reynolds is off helping McGonagall, and Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail are up in Gryffindor Tower. So you can tell me."

"Well…" Lily said, sighing deeply, "I couldn't just let Snape be unfair to you, could I? You were unable to move!" Lily then became very interested in her plate of spaghetti. 

"Is that why you always stopped me from hexing Snape from our third year onward?" James asked quietly. "You didn't want me to be unfair to him?"

"Well… yes."

"Well, you know, Evans, he always curses me when he has the chance. I bet if I made eye contact with him, I'd be hit with a Conjunctivitis Curse faster than you can blink. Mind you, my Shield Charm would be up before Snape even opens his mouth," James explained, laughing slightly.

"Well, I suppose to be a Quidditch player, you get good reflexes. How long have you been playing Quidditch, anyway?"

"Since second year. I originally tried out for Beater, but they were short a Chaser, so I made the cut. Now, according to Padfoot, I'm better than every player on the pitch. He reckons I should try for professional," James said, his voice hiding his barely-contained pride.

"Well, you are good, James," Lily said. James blushed deeply, and mumbled a 'thanks.' "However, I think you should apply your skills in magic elsewhere."

"Where?" James asked, his face still flushing.

"I think you would make a good member of the Order of the Phoenix."

James blinked in surprise. He hadn't heard much about the Order of the Phoenix- only the top students at Hogwarts (mainly the Prefects and Head Boy and Girl) were told about the Order. It was the secret army of people who fought against Voldemort. Some of the more famous members were Frank and Alice Longbottom, very successful Aurors, Aberforth Dumbledore, the strange brother of the current Headmaster at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, Marlene McKinnon, an amazing witch, and, of course, Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, the most famous Auror of all, and Albus Dumbledore himself.

"D'you- d'you really think that, Evans?" he asked.

"Well, of course, James. You're the best wizard in our year. Someday I wouldn't be surprised if the name _Potter _became famous because of you."

At this, James flushed even deeper. He noticed Lily had turned a slight shade of pink as well. "Th-th-thanks, Evans," was all James could utter.

"Please," she said, "call me Lily."

As she entered the Great Hall, Chelsea Reynolds saw James and Lily both blushing, talking to each other. She rolled her eyes, as she listened. "And someday," she whispered quietly to herself, "you won't be Lily Evans anymore- you'll be Lily Potter."

*                                                               *                                                          *

Halloween was fast approaching Hogwarts. Dumbledore had announced to the students that there was going to be a Halloween dance, something that had never occurred before at Hogwarts "and was likely never to occur again," according to Dumbledore.

Sirius kept on asking James if he was going to ask Lily to the dance. All of the Marauders kept on whispering to James in classes, "Have you asked her yet?" James would only reply with a stern glare and point to his Head Boy badge, indicating that he could deduct points from them if they bugged him anymore. Sirius seemed to be deeply offended by this, and was rather cool towards James for some of the days that followed.

James was trying his best to pay attention in the classes. Ever since Lily had suggested that he join the Order of the Phoenix, he had been trying his best to be a better student, instead of the obnoxious brat that he had been most of his life. His teachers seemed to notice, too. Professor Flitwick, their tiny little Charms teacher, told him that he was most pleased with his improvements in his attitude.

Three days before the Halloween Dance, James decided he had to ask Lily to it before someone else had. Twice, in the hallway, he had heard Lily reject two students, insisting that she was 'planning on asking someone.' James hoped against hope that she was talking about him. She seemed to smile more whenever the passed in the hallway, showing off her perfect teeth. 

Finally, James decided the time had come. On the way to History of Magic, he found Lily talking rapidly to Chelsea Reynolds. Pointing his wand at Lily's bag, he whispered, "_Diffindo_!" and her bag split open. She rolled her eyes, and said to Chelsea, "Fourth time that's happened this year. I'll catch up to you in a minute; let me get my stuff up."

When Chelsea had walked away, James walked up to Lily. "Er, Lily?" he asked. 

"Oh, hi James," Lily said, muttering, "_Reparo," at the broken bottle of ink that lay on the floor. "Sorry about this. My bag split open- fourth time this year."_

"Imagine that," James said quietly. "Well, anyway, Lily, I've been wondering for a while… d'you- d'you- oh, Merlin, this is impossible to say. So I'll just say it," James said, and turned a deep shade of red. "Would you like to come to the Halloween Dance with me?"

Upon hearing this, Lily promptly dropped the bottle of ink, turning a shade of red to rival her hair. She magically fixed the bottle of ink and her bag, and looked James in the eye. "Are you asking me on a date, James Potter?"

"Well," James said, turning red again. His hand unconsciously flew up to his hair. "Yes, I am. D'you want to? I mean, I wouldn't be offended if you had asked someone else already and-"

"Yes, I'll come with you, James. Something in you has changed this year, and I don't know what. However, I take back what I said in fifth year," Lily said, and gave James a small hug. James's hazel eyes widened to the size of Snitches, and he remembered what she had said.

"Well, in fifth year, I _was _a bit arrogant," he admitted. "Now, come on, Lily, we're going to be late for History of Magic." And, for the first time ever, Lily Evans and James Potter walked down the hallway, each clasping the other's hand.

When the entered the room, Sirius saw James and Lily, and gave James the thumbs-up. James just grinned, and Lily let go of his hand, sitting down next to Chelsea. James joined the Marauders, and they all grinned back, save Peter.

"Finally got her, mate?" Sirius asked James.

"Yeah," James said.

"How long have you been after her, Prongs?" Remus asked James seriously.

"Well, since third year. Before that, I said, 'girls are icky,' remember, Moony?" James said.

"I just remember when you first noticed girls, Prongs," Sirius said, stifling a laugh. "You came running through the portrait hole, eyes wide, and said, 'Sirius, mate, I just realized what we've been missing for three years.'"

_"What?" Sirius asked, his eyes wide with anticipation._

_"One word," James said solemnly. "Girls."_

_"Girls?"__ Sirius asked. "Which one?"_

_"Well, I just noticed Lily Evans in the hallway- she's AMAZING!"_

James laughed at the whole ordeal. For the next four years, he had tried to catch Lily's attention, but she was apparently displeased with him. However, now he had finally managed to ask her out without being shot down. It was something that he had never been able to accomplish in life, and he had many accomplishments to his name.

Just then, the ghost Professor Binns walked through the chalkboard, and instantly began droning on about the Werewolf Segregation in 1761, which Remus paid rapt attention to.

The eve of the Halloween Dance had approached. All the seventh year boys in Gryffindor changed into their dress robes. James had a nice set of royal blue robes that had _J.W.P. _embroidered on the chest in golden letters. Sirius had long, sweeping midnight black robes, to reflect his name. Remus had a royal purple set, but they were slightly used. Peter had light gray dress robes that were too short- his tennis shoes could be seen.

They all filed down to the Gryffindor common room. James and Remus bade Sirius and Peter farewell, and they went out to find their dates- James was looking for Lily, and Remus was looking for Chelsea Reynolds. He had surprised everyone when he asked her to the dance, but she agreed.

James found Lily chatting with Chelsea. Lily was dressed in bottle green robes that matched her eye color. The hem of the robes seemed to float, and she had let her long, dark red hair hang off the back of it. James thought she looked very beautiful indeed.

Remus went over and greeted Chelsea. Then, Professor McGonagall opened the portrait hole, and stuck her head in. "The dance is about to begin. Please come down to the Great Hall. I want the Head Boy and Girl and their dates- oh, I see they are dating each other. Well, I want the Head Boy and Girl to lead the procession out of the common room, followed by the seventh years, sixth years, fifth years, and so on. Please, if you have a date from a different house, search for them once you enter the Entrance Hall. Now, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, if you would."

James interlocked his arms with Lily, and turned a deep shade of red. James couldn't tell, but he thought she was smiling slightly at them. They slowly lead the procession of Gryffindors down to the Entrance Hall. Once they reached the hall, Sirius rushed over to a Ravenclaw sixth year. "See you, mate!" he called to James, and they entered the Great Hall.


	5. The Halloween Dance

When they entered the Great Hall, they saw that it had completely changed. All of the house tables had been vanished, replaced by hundreds of small tables, each seating about four. They were covered with orange tablecloths, and four candles were floating above them, with a central candle in the middle of the table. 

Lily and James, as the Head Boy and Girl, were the first to see it all. Lily's eyes sparkled in the light of the candles, and James couldn't help feeling all weak in his stomach when he looked at her. Over and over in his head, he kept on thinking, _Merlin, James; you've been in love with this girl since third year._

_No, I don't love _Lily Evans; I just like her a lot.__

However, he had often been thinking since he was sixteen how he truly felt about Lily. When he was around fifteen, he had been quite arrogant around her, hoping to catch her attention. However, once he realized that he wouldn't catch her attention by hexing innocent students in the hallway, or vanishing chairs in classrooms while other students were working on exams, he stopped being such an arrogant jerk. 

Lily still had her arm interlocked with James. Every time he looked at her, she blushed deeply. James wondered whether or not she wanted to be with him there. However, she _had _agreed to go with him, so he figured she must've wanted to be there with him.

Professor McGonagall directed them to a table. When they sat down, they saw a card written in delicate handwriting, saying: _Reserved for Prefects and the Head Boy and Girl_. James grinned. "At least Snape's not going to join us."

"Who are the Slytherin prefects, anyway?" Lily asked.

James shrugged. "I dunno." He opened his mouth to say more, but Remus and Chelsea sat down next to them. "Hi Moony, hi Reynolds," James said sullenly, slightly irritated that they had interrupted him and Lily.

"Hi, Prongs," Remus said, smiling.

"Lily, oh my gosh! Did you _see the robes Rebecca Perge, that seventh year from Hufflepuff, was wearing?" Chelsea said, the instant she sat down on next to Lily._

"No… But why would I care?"

"Because! _She _went to the dance with _your date's best friend! And her robes are UGLY."_

"Moony, isn't Reynolds _your_ date?" James laughed.

"Isn't Lily your date?" Remus said bitterly. "I really wish she wouldn't do that."

Once everyone had entered, Albus Dumbledore strode in, an aura of greatness surrounding him. He sat down at the table next to their table, and smiled at Lily and James, his blue eyes twinkling. Tonight he was dressed in robes of deep blue, and the stars on his pointed hat twinkled occasionally. "You know," he said, leaning over to Lily and James, "traditionally the Head Boy and his date, and the Head Girl and her date open the Halloween Dance. You're saving us a lot of space on the dance floor."

Lily blushed and James grinned. "Well, of course, I knew I had to, Sir."

Lily and James talked absentmindedly while everybody shuffled in, and then they picked up their menus, once Dumbledore had done so. James took out his wand and tapped _tortellini_, and his golden plate filled up instantly with the pasta. Lily tapped _lasagna and her plate filled up completely, too._

After everybody had their full, Dumbledore stood up, indicated for all of the students to do so, and clapped his hands. Instantly, some of the tables in the middle of the Great Hall flew towards the walls. "Now, beginning with the Head Boy and Girl, you may dance."

James was extremely nervous. He had never danced before, and hadn't planned on dancing much. He took Lily's hand and went into the dance floor, and placed his arms around her waist. Lily took her arms and put them on James's shoulders, and they began a slow dance, as a magical orchestra began playing. Slowly, they moved around the floor, Lily occasionally saying hello to people she knew.

"Sorry I'm not much of a dancer," James said when the first song ended. "I never really—"

"I think you dance wonderfully," Lily said, and kissed James on the cheek. James instantly went beat red, and Lily turned a shade of pink as well. Across the Great Hall, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he watched them.

By the end of the first song, every student present was dancing on the floor. James and Lily were slowly revolving on the spot, and for once, James hoped, Lily was impressed with him. _After all, _James thought, _she _had _complemented me on my dancing ability._

James's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of light, then another, and another. There was a gash on his right arm, left leg, and across his forehead. He whirled around in the source of the direction that the Slashing hex was sent. Snape was standing not six yards away from him, wand out.

James looked into Lily's deep green eyes for a moment, and she understood. Snape had just attacked him, and he had to defend himself. Within a moment, his wand was out, and he sent a hex at Snape.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one. Remus had his wand out, a faint frown line visible. Sirius, too, had broken away from his dance, and he looked positively vicious. James looked back in the direction of Snape. 

Snape looked horrified. In his hands, he held his unusually bulbous nose, and most of the strands of his greasy hair. He scowled at James, and sent four more Slashing hexes at James, who ducked, but one hit Lily. She let out a slight, "Oh!" and covered her arm where it had been slashed.

That did it for James: in several flash of light, Snape's wand was in James's hand, and Snape was on the floor, hit with a Stunning spell.

"ENOUGH!" came McGonagall's furious voice. "POTTER! BLACK! LUPIN! HERE, NOW!" she shouted. Waving a sad goodbye to Lily, who was trying to stop the bleeding on her arm with a skin-sealing charm, James walked over to Professor McGonagall. "Explain yourselves," she said, her lip almost completely gone.

"Professor," James said in a calm voice, "Lily and I were dancing when Snape sent slashing hexes at me. I did nothing to provoke him, and I had to retaliate," James said.

"And you two?" she said, her eyes sweeping over to Remus and Sirius. 

"We couldn't let Sniv- er, Snape get away with that, attacking our best friend when he wasn't prepared," Sirius said.

"Yet you all sent hexes at him, making him lose his hair and nose! And then, Potter, you stunned him! I have never seen anything so unfair—"

"Professor," Remus said quietly, "_he _was the one being unfair."

 "Be that as it may, Mr. Lupin, you all hexed him. Madam Pomfrey is going to have a _lot of work to do tonight: she'll have to brew a hair growth potion, and she'll have to reattach his nose. I'm afraid I'll have to sentence detention for all three of you."_

"What about Snape?" James asked furiously. 

"Mr. Snape will be dealt with once he is fully healed. As for you three," she said, "thirty points from Gryffindor."

"But—"

"Mr. Black, please do not make this situation worse for you," Professor McGonagall said, strolling away from the three of them. 

"Well," James said heavily, "I'm going to go back to dancing with Lily- if she'll let me…"

"Good luck, mate," Sirius said, clapping a hand on James's shoulder.

"Thanks," James said, "I'll need it." He walked back to Lily with a heavy heart. He was positive that Lily wasn't going to want to continue going out with him now.

When he reached her, she was sitting down, her hand clamped over where Snape had hit her with the Slashing hex. "Look, Lily, I'm sorry I—"

"Thanks for defending me," Lily said, and kissed him once more on the cheek. "That was awfully noble of you."

"I-er…" James said, wide eyed. Lily Evans was kissing him. Again.

The next day, Dumbledore made an announcement at breakfast. "After last night's episode," he said, his blue eyes flickering, in turn, at James, Sirius, Remus, and Snape, "there shall no longer be a Halloween Dance."  There were several groans of indignation, and several Slytherins glanced contemptuously at the Gryffindor table. "However," Dumbledore said, raising his voice to go above the groans, "I have decided, instead, that each year for Halloween, there will be a feast. I apologize that the seventh years are going to miss the first ever Hogwarts Halloween Feast, but they were there for the last Hogwarts Halloween Dance. That is all." 

The start of November started the tedious study for N.E.W.T.s for the seventh years. James and Lily, being Head Boy and Girl, had massive amounts of homework to do, as well as their duties. James had to supervise the male prefects in patrolling the corridors at night, Lily had to do the same with the girls, and always had to do role call with the prefects.

On top of homework, James had Quidditch practice three nights a week. Being captain of the Quidditch team, he had to schedule the games for Gryffindor and the practices. He managed to push Gryffindor's first game to the beginning of the next year, so he could have a bit of a break.

So, by the time Christmas Holidays were approaching, James was glad to have a break from school.

It was six days before the holiday that Lily approached him in the hallway. They had become fast friends ever since the Halloween Dance, and, at times when they were alone in the Gryffindor common room, they were sitting extremely close on the couches. She was blushing furiously, and Chelsea Reynolds, who was with her, seemed to be livid with rage. 

"Erm, James?" she said, almost timidly. "Could I have a word?"

"Sure Lily," he said, his stomach falling into his legs, a feeling of dread sweeping over him. "What's up?"

"Well, I owled my parents a couple of days ago, and I asked them if I could bring a friend. They said yes, and I was wondering- would you like to come?"

James stomach went straight from his leg to his Adam's apple. "You wanted to invite me to your house?" James asked, his voice very high, quite unlike his own. "And- visit your house?"

"Yeah," Lily said, blushing. "But, of course, if you don't want to come, I'd—"

"I'd LOVE to come!" James said, smiling widely.

"R-really?" Lily asked, smiling as well. "You would?"

"Yeah!" James said, and they walked up to their next class hand in hand. However, they didn't notice a certain Chelsea Reynolds glaring at the back of James's head. 

"You can't steal my best friend from me, James Potter," she snarled. 


	6. The Evans Family House

**Disclaimer: **wo~o~oo~~ow… almost a 10,000 word story, and 8 reviews. I guess I should say thanks too… **Calvin Potterson, Emily, Dude Wheres My Cheese, Fruity Pie, and ****Knockturnalley256. …My only reviewers. Oh well, thanks you guys.**

"So, you told Evans you'd come to her house for Christmas?" Sirius asked on the last day of term, for the fifth time.

"Yes, Padfoot, I told her that," James said, sighing. "She seemed to really want me to come."

"Chelsea was slightly upset about that," Remus said, not looking up from his book, _Olde_ Spells for the Young Minde_. _

The three of them were sitting in the Gryffindor common room. It was virtually empty now- Peter had gone up to bed. Even though James hated to admit it, he preferred sitting in the common room with only Sirius and Remus. 

"You're still seeing her?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Yes," Remus said, still not looking up. "Would you two please be quiet- I'm trying to study for my N.E.W.T.s."

"Moony, those are months away," Sirius sighed exasperatedly.

"At least I'll be prepared," Remus said. "Now, do I have to send the Silencing Spell at you, or will you please be quiet?"

Sirius laughed loudly, and Remus silenced him. "_Silencio," he said, almost lazily. Sirius's mouth opened several more times, but no sound came out. He glared at Remus._

James sighed and whipped out his wand, and muttered, "_Finite." Sirius's voice returned at once, and he glowered at Remus. _

"I'm going to bed," he said. "Good night, Prongs, and Moony, you nasty cheating scumbag."

"Ah, go complain to the mermaids in the lake," Remus said, grinning. Sirius just glowered at him, and slammed the boy's dormitory door. James and Remus just laughed.

The next morning, James met Lily in the common room early. "Thanks again for inviting me to visit your family," James grinned.

"Oh, no problem. My mum and dad think it's _amazing _that there's a Wizarding world," Lily said.

"I thought you said you had a sister," James said. "What's she like? Is she as pretty as you?"

Lily snorted loudly, startling some first years. "First of all, I'm surprised you think I'm pretty. If you consider _me_ pretty, than you'd think Petunia's ugly."

"Her name is Petunia?" James asked, raising an eyebrow. "But what's she like?"

"She's younger than me," Lily said, "and she _hates _magic in all forms. When I got my Apparating license this summer, and I could use magic outside of school, she flinched all the time whenever I showed my mum and dad magic."

"It must be weird, living in a Muggle family…" James said. "I hear their pictures don't move at all. Is it true?"

"Yeah. When I first got to Hogwarts, I was pretty shocked when a portrait leered down at me and threatened to jinx my ears off for being in Gryffindor," Lily laughed.

"I remember that. Frank Longbottom was leading us up to the Tower, wasn't he?" James asked, as he muttered a Summoning Charm to send his trunk down to the common room. Fortunately, Sirius had just opened the door and ducked as James's trunk flew down the stairs to him. He had just come down the stairs to bid James and Lily goodbye when Chelsea Reynolds burst into the common room.

She looked enraged at James. Her wand was out, and she was constantly muttering under her breath. "Potter, look what you've done…" she muttered. "Taking my friend away from me. I'll show you!" she shouted. Her eyes had gone red with rage. She paused for a second, as if trying to think of what to curse James with, when Lily's wand was out.

"_Expelliarmus_!" she shouted. Chelsea's wand flew into her outstretched arm. "What are you doing, Chelsea?" she asked, furious.

"_YOU DIDN'T INVITE ME TO YOUR HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS!" Chelsea shouted. "_YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULD INVITE ME! NOT THAT STUPID JAMES POTTER!_" _

"Chelsea, calm down!" Lily shouted exasperatedly. "Just because I invited the guy I LIKE doesn't mean I don't like you!"

"Lily, let me handle this…" James said, drawing out his own wand. "Chelsea," he said, "I'm really, really sorry about this, but… _Petrificus__ Totalus!" he said, and she froze together immediately. Her eyes were rolling around madly in their sockets, and she made a growl noise. James looked down at her, sympathetically. "I'm really sorry for that, Chelsea. I promise that Remus is going to unfreeze you once Lily and I are safely out of the common room. You will," he shouted up to the dormitory, "won't you, Moony?"_

"Yeah," said Remus, his voice sounding as though he was reading again. "No be quiet, Prongs, I'm trying to find a good method on improving the Protean Charm."

James rolled his eyes. "You _can't _improve on the Protean Charm. You can only change where you put it."

Lily laughed, and rolled her trunk through the portrait hole. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah," James said, then waved goodbye to Sirius. "See you in the New Year, Padfoot."

Sirius waved goodbye, and started to play Exploding Snap on Chelsea's forehead.

James and Lily filed out of Hogwarts and onto Hogsmeade Station, their trunks in tow. They found a quiet compartment on the train, and began talking. They talked about a lot of things: Quidditch, school, their families, but most frequently, Voldemort.

While they were on the subject of Voldemort, James had a sensation in the pit of his stomach. _Should I hold her hand? _he thought over and over. Eventually, he decided to hold her hand, but, right when he leant forward to touch her hand, the train lurched, and he toppled out of his seat, finding himself in a very uncomfortable position for Lily.

He blushed immediately and withdrew his hand. "S-s-sorry, Lily," he said, his face complimenting his Gryffindor sweater very well. Lily herself had gone a shade of red to rival her hair. "It's okay," she said, and averting her eyes to the floor of the compartment.

For several long, painful minutes, they sat in silence, until the train slowly stopped. James picked up Lily's trunk from the top rack of the compartment, and got his own. They wheeled out onto Platform 9 and ¾. When the signal was all-clear to go onto the platform, James suddenly decided to grab Lily's hand, and they walked into the train station.

Lily nodded in the direction of two Muggles. One, the man, was dressed in a very ugly brown overcoat that was slightly fuzzy. He was wearing a plaid green bowler, and his hair was slowly growing gray. He had Lily's beautiful green eyes- however, James didn't find them beautiful on him. He waved in the direction of Lily and James, and then James caught a sight of Lily's mum.

She was slightly overdressed- her hair was sticky with what was obviously hair spray, and it was dyed falsely red, perhaps to compete with Lily's hair color. Her eyes were watery blue, and she had a green jacket on. She rushed over to Lily and James.

"Oh, Lily, he's _gorgeous_…" said Lily's Mum, shaking James's hand a little over-enthusiastically. He flashed her a grin.

"_Ahem," coughed Lily's Dad._

"Oh, Morty, don't be so jealous," she said, ribbing him in the stomach a little too hard.

"Morty" groaned uncomfortably. "Rose," he said to her, politely, "I think we should get Lily and her 'friend,'" he winked at James, "back to the house. Don't you agree?"

"Morty, don't be such a killjoy," Rose snorted. "Now, Lily, tell me about your term." And with that, Mrs. Evans grabbed Lily's arm and forced her into a long conversation about Professor Binn's essay on witch burning in the 1400's. James rolled his eyes, and Mr. Evans did as well.

"Rose is so fascinated with the magical world. She never lets up about it when Lily's home," he laughed. 

"Well, I think the Muggle world is a lot more interesting. I took Muggle Studies up to sixth year. I even learned how to how to use _power tools_!" James said, expecting Mr. Evans to be highly impressed. However, he glanced at the wand protruding from James's pants pocket (they had changed on the train) and mouthed a "wow."

"Lily was just able to do magic outside of school this summer. She really impressed us. How much magic can _you _do?" he asked, eyeing James. "I hope you're not better than my daughter."

"Mr. Evans, there isn't really a way to rate Wizards," James said. 

A glint appeared in Mr. Evans's eyes. He looked up at James. "Can I- can I see it?"

"See what?"

"_Your wand_!" Mr. Evans whispered, then laughed childishly. "Lily won't let me see hers."

They had reached the Evans car, and James and Lily got into the back. James had never really seen Muggle cars. He was quite disappointed by their lack of space. Indeed- he expected to at least put a few feet between him and the Evans. However, he found his knees were uncomfortably scrunched between Mrs. Evans's seat. He was too uncomfortable to talk to Mr. or Mrs. Evans, as he was too squished to really talk. He finally was able to breathe freely once they pulled up into a moderate-sized house at number six, Jasper Court. 

It was painted a shade of off white, with two floors. There was a balcony on each side of the house (James could only assume Lily and her older sister.) However, in the doorway, there was a slim, bony girl blocking the entrance.

She had a horse-like face and a pleading frown was on her thin lips. She had her mother's watery blue eyes, and strangely pale blond hair. She was wearing an ugly salmon pink sweater and blue jeans. She rushed up to her mother. "Mum, Vernie wants a lot of sugar for his tea- he absolutely _refuses to take what—" The girl stopped speaking when she saw Lily and James step out of the car. "__Oh," she said, as though she suddenly became uninterested in them. "It's _you_." _

"Nice to see you too, Petunia," Lily said brightly. 

"Who's he?" she gestured at James. "Someone from your freak school?"

"'Freak school?'" James said, perplexed. "But Hogwarts is perfectly normal!" 

Petunia scoffed. "Normal for freaks like you!" she said, looking rather freakish herself. She laughed hysterically, until a large, doughy man without any neck came out and put his arm around her. She seemed used to it, as she didn't buckle under his weight. He had hardly any neck, and he had already grown a moustache. James guessed him to be in his early twenties.

"Who is this?" he asked in a gruff voice, gesturing towards James.

"James Potter," James said, extending his hand. "Vernie," however, didn't take it.

"Do you go to that freak school that Petunia's sister goes to?" he asked skeptically.

"You mean Hogwarts?" he asked. "Yeah, I do."

He jumped back a bit, causing the doorframe to rattle. He stared at James's hand as if it were poison. "For Merlin's sake, just shake his hand, Vernon," Lily sighed. 

Reluctantly, Vernon reached forward and shook James's hand, muttering, "Vernon Dursley." He immediately withdrew his hand from James's grasp, and waddled back into the house, followed by Petunia.

"Well, come on inside, James," Lily grinned, taking James's hand, and leading him inside. 

"Wait a minute!" Mr. Evans said. "Mr. Potter here said I could see his wa—"

Lily hissed a warning at her father. "Dad! Inside!" She pushed him by the back of his ugly coat and marched him into the family room. James followed inside, impressed with the way Muggles lived without magic.

"Now, James," Lily said, "perhaps we should show my parents some magic…"

Always eager to show off, James whipped out his wand. Having read about the Muggle excuse for magic ("magicians") he conjured up a top hat and a cape, with an 'Oooh!' from Mrs. Evans. "For my first trick," he grinned, "I will need a volunteer from the audience. Perhaps…Vernon Dursley!" Pointing his wand towards  where Vernon and Petunia had meandered off to, he muttered, "_Accio__ Vernon Dursley," and a very angry Vernon came flying out of the kitchen._

"What is the bloody meaning of this?" he thundered.

"Just watch…" James hissed in his ear. "Now, for my first trick, I will change this human into an animal! Anybody have any suggestions?"

Mr. Evans jumped up, almost like an eager school girl about to answer a question. "Turn him into an owl! An owl!" 

"Very well!" said James, flourishing his wand unnecessarily. "Now, volunteer, all you need to do is sit still!" Taking a more serious turn, he muttered, "_Raphidious__ Owl!" and waved his wand, tapping Vernon with his wand._

There was a bright flash of light, and it seemed that they were watching a movie backwards. Vernon's beefy body slowly melted down into that of a bird- his clothes turned into ugly brown feathers, and a beak sprouted on his face. Soon, all of his human features were gone.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans positively shrieked with applause. However, Petunia shrieked in horror. "MY DIDDY VERNIE!" she shouted. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?"


End file.
